Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-02-03

some Interesting Information Concerning
q Rather Curious Industry.


tonne Interesting Information Concerning
! q Rather Curious Industry.
On East Fourth street there stands q
glass case containing a varied assort-
ment of glass eyes that stare at the
passer-by without WEAKNESS or wink
inc. There are some tiny glass deer.
with long. graceful antlers, and colored
porcelain knick-knacks of various sorts,
shapes. and sizes to tempt the taste OF
lovely woman, OF the ceaseless curiOs-
ity ..Oh, mother, do buy that" OF
childhood; but by far the most prom
inent features of the tiny showcase are
the horrid, cold, death-like. clammy
glass eyes that stare you full in the
face.
Going up the narrow steps the pro-
prietor was found.
"Oh, yes" he said, 81 have been in
the business many years. My father
was in it before me.
.And where do the glass eyes come
from?''
"a large number are imported from
Europe. Attempts have been made to
manufacture them here, but they have
never succeeded to great extent.
The finest are made in Paris: good ones
are made in Switzerland and Germany.
They are made Of glass in the shape OF
hollow hemisphere. The pupil is
formed of colored glass. and requires
the greatest skill on the part OF the
workman. The white of the eye is inn
itated with wonderful accuracy. 1t is
of cream white, yeilowish white, blue
white, or any other shade, so as to ex-
actly match the white of the remaining
real eye. Before the final CLOSING is
put on small red veins are traced with
a pencil on the surface. There is Il
slight ridge along the edge. which en-
ables the muscles of the socket to move
and move the ball. Dealers keep them
in separate boxes. which they call the
blue box, brown box, and so on. These
boxes contain eyes of all sizes from as
large as marble up to one as large as
a pigeons egg"
''What are easiest to match?"
'.Brown, by all means; and blue are
the most difficult, as the play of light
about them gives a variation OF color
that is almost impossible to initiate
artiiicially."
care they not hard to ft and con-
tinually falling Outr'
''By no means, beyond a little heavi-
ness that the wearer feels ut first but
soon becomes accustomed to. We fit
the eyes to the sockets by heating and
softening the ball. and then cutting it
with hot scissors to the proper size and
shape. The hollow part fits over the
stump of the eye. When this is neatly
done the eye moves as readily as the
other eye and it is difficult to tell
which eye is glass. The great majority
of glass eyes are used by working-men
who work around foundries and ma
chine shops. 1t is said there are more
glass-eyed men in Paterson. N. j..
than in any other city of the Union"
''There must be great many hid
eous things connected with your basi-
aesz
Eyes, there are some funny things
told of the mishaps that befall people
who allow their innocent glass eye to
stare at people improperly. The gen.
tlemen who was looking out of Il street.
car window with his good eye and adj
miring the pedestrians moving along,
was not aware that his glass eye was
gazing intently at 4 maiden lady of I'M
certain age, but he soon became aware
of the fact when she, arising in great
anger. smashed in his brand new four
dollar silk hat, and shouted out: oh,
you nasty Old wretch. what are you
looking at me for! He paid his fare
and escaped, no doubt thinking she
had escaped from Longview. "-Cincin-
natl Telegraph.